JIM DELEHANT,
1940-2020
Jim Delehant, long-time Atlantic Records A&R Director and a former music journaist, died 7/28 in Kingston, N.Y., from complications of a stroke and subsequent heart failure. He was 80.
As Vice President, Director of A&R at Atlantic/ATCO Records from 1968 to 1981, Delehant was associated with ABBA, AC/DC, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Freddie King, The Spinners, Ringo Starr and many others.
Delehant’s tenure also overlapped with the proliferation of custom labels through Atlantic such as RSO, Asylum and Stax/Volt. In one of many hundreds of such stories, it was Delehant who assigned Bob Clearmountain to remix The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You” in 1978, resulting in a #1 single.
After Jerry Greenberg left Atlantic in 1980 to form Mirage Music with his brother Bob, Delehant joined them as Director of A&R/producer in 1981. Mirage acts for which he was responsible included Gary Moore and Whitesnake. Delehant ultimately retired from Mirage and the record business in 1989, to attend to his wife’s health.
Prior to Atlantic Delehant worked for Hit Parader for six years where he initiated coverage of hard rock, blues, R&B and soul music to the mainstream magazine.
“Jim was a set of my ears at Atlantic,” Greenberg said. “We both lived in Connecticut so Jim and I would commute together. We would listen to music in the car and pick the singles there. We had pins made up to put on the sun visor. We gave the car gold records. He was sweet, kind and loved by all the artists and staff. R.I.P. my friend.”
